Bad grades or disorderly conduct may be the reason why high school seniors are not allowed to walk the graduation ceremony, but this was not the case for a senior at my old high school. My classmate was deported a few days before his graduation. The night of graduation there was a cold silence that could not be ignored. We all felt the pain of his parents, who were only left to imagine their son walking the stage.

In the eastern Coachella Valley, Border Patrol trucks are seen daily—at every stop light and at every gas station. They hide behind bushes at night waiting for cars to drive by and seize any opportunity to stop them. Every year, exceptional students are deported and although they are productive members of society, they are denied the chance of furthering their education due to lack of money, support and, unfortunately, their legal status.

During his 2008 presidential campaign, Obama promised he would create immigration reform that would benefit those applicable, but this promise was turned down by the U.S. Supreme Court. Instead, the Obama Administration has deported more undocumented people than any other president in history. On the bright side, President Obama passed an executive action in 2012 that allows those who entered the country as children and meet certain guidelines to be considered for deferred action for a period of two years with subject to renewal. Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals (DACA) provides those applicable with a work permit and a social security number that allows them to enroll in college. DACA is still active today, but with the new president-elect arriving in the White House, it could become history. Trump said he will revoke DACA once he takes office and this is something to be afraid of.

Every two years, those in the process of renewing their work permit must take a biometrics exam, information which will fall under Trump’s Administration. From 2012 to 2015, a total of 908,479 DACA cases have been approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. This means that today there is approximately 1 million undocumented students being productive members of society, whose personal information is in the hands of Trump. If Trump follows as promised and revokes DACA, a lot of talent, dedication, ambition and intelligence will be tossed out.

Those who oppose DACA argue that the government cannot reward people who committed a crime, because it produces a moral hazard. They believe that Dreamers or DACA recipients are criminals and should be punished. But, what crime did they commit if their presence here is not fault of their own, as they were brought here as children by their parents? Many DACA recipients do not even speak the language of their parent’s country, how can we “send them back” when they have no recognition of that place?

Our immigration laws are broken, which means we have a lot to do. Let’s give undocumented students a chance at being educated and the chance to be contributing members of our society. Undocumented students face consequences for actions they did not commit and actions they have little control over. What this country needs is a path to citizenship for undocumented students so they are able to study, work and live in this country without fear and without prejudice.

About the author:

Leydy Rangel is a youth reporter with Coachella Unincorporated and a senior journalism major at Cal Poly Pomona. She’s an eastern Coachella Valley resident and enjoys telling stories from her community. View her author page here.

By Brenda Rincón,
Coachella Unincorporated

COACHELLA, Calif. –  Cris* was only 12 years old when she left Atlixco, Puebla, with her brother and sister to join their parents in the United States.

Cris – along with her dreams of one day becoming an artist – nervously climbed over the border fence near Mexicali. Once the scared children made it to the other side, they met up with the person charged with driving them to Coachella.

Now 20 years old, the College of the Desert art student’s childhood dreams finally seem within reach because of the new Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program established by the Obama administration.

Under this program, eligible youth can file applications to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to avoid deportation and obtain the right to work. USCIS began accepting applications, available on its website, on August 15. The application fee is $465.

“This opens the doors for me and many other students because we finally know that when we finish our studies, we will be able to work,” said Cris, who dreams of working as a Pixar animator or a fashion designer. “We work so hard to find the money for school, and now we know we can pursue our life’s dreams when we graduate.”

Undocumented students like Cris can learn more about this program at a Deferred Action information fair hosted by Leaders of Tomorrow this Saturday, August 18, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 53-462 Enterprise Way in Coachella. The event will feature two identical sessions presented by immigration lawyer Russell Jauregui, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 3 p.m.

“Some people think Deferred Action is amnesty or the DREAM Act, but it’s nothing like that,” said Jose M. Chiquito, director of Leaders of Tomorrow, a group of local college students. “This is for students with a clean record, those with a criminal background can not apply.”

Chiquito, 21, a pre-med student at University of Laverne who is a legal resident, plans to come home to Coachella on weekends to help students learn about and apply for Deferred Action.

“The lack of information affects our community greatly, especially in Thermal and Mecca where people don’t have Internet access,” said Chiquito. “Television commercials are telling people that amnesty is here and the DREAM Act has passed. The students who have been waiting so long for this can easily fall for it and get scammed.”

Although he is aware that many people are opposed to his point of view, Chiquito strongly believes that students who came to the United States as children, have a good record, and speak the English language deserve the opportunity to stay.

“If they are good citizens and have lived their lives here, there is no justification to make them leave,” he says.

As for Cris, she is pulling together the necessary documents to submit her Deferred Action application as soon as possible. After that, she plans to complete her studies at COD and transfer to a California State University to continue working toward her dreams.

“For me, the United States is a blessing, it has given me many opportunities that I wouldn’t have in my country,” says Cris. “This country has always opened its doors to everyone, it was built by immigrants. I want to be one of the immigrants who continues to build this country.

“This country has done so much for me, why can’t I give something back to my country, the USA?”

Information about Deferred Action event: [email protected] or (760) 335-6864.
Information about Deferred Action program: www.uscis.gov/childhoodarrivals

* Name withheld at her request.